Smartphones and tablets have become a staple in our everyday lives. But, wait until it’s time to navigate your touch screen phone while it’s freezing cold outside! Fortunately, you don’t have to remove your gloves to check your notifications or return that call.
Learning how to make touchscreen-sensitive gloves will make things more convenient for you. And sewing conductive thread into the fingertips is the easiest technique. It’s a simple and affordable DIY solution that may save you the hassle.
That being said, not everyone has the basic skills to sew or even thread a needle.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the different processes of turning your gloves into a more functional, touchscreen-friendly pair of hand warmers.
Why Should You Make Your Gloves Touch Screen Compatible?
Why not?
Touch-sensitive gloves are convenient, especially if you work outdoors in cold weather. A good pair of touchscreen gloves allow you to use your smartphone while keeping your hands warm. These DIY pairs also come in handy if you work in mechanics or any job that requires you to wear gloves.
Plus, they are cost-effective. So instead of buying expensive touchscreen-compatible gloves, you can just turn your existing pair by following the DIY method we’ve prepared below.
How To Make Gloves Touch Screen: 4 Easy Ways
If you’re looking for easy ways how to make gloves touch screen, you can:
Sew in Conductive Thread
Sewing in a conductive thread is one of the best ways to make your gloves touch screen. Now, not everyone has aced home economics, but with practice, you’ll be able to get it done in no time. And don’t worry, with this DIY project, however, all you need is basic sewing skills.
Before you begin, make sure to have these tools ready:
- gloves
- conductive thread
- needle
- marker
- scissors
Follow the process:
- First, lay out the gloves on a flat surface. This way, you’ll get a clearer sight of which part of the gloves’ fingertips needs to get sewed in with the conductive thread.
- Next, use little dots to indicate these spots on the cloth. Make sure to flip the gloves inside out and check to see whether you can still see the marks.
- Now, with a threaded needle, begin sewing a few stitches across the area where you want the conductive thread to go. Make sure that the stitches are close together and even. You may also use a zigzag stitch if you like.
- While you’re at it, check that there is a long tail to touch the interior of the glove’s fingertip. This is an important step since the conductive fabric needs to come into contact with your skin. Cover only a small area on the glove’s exterior, leaving long pieces of thread on the inside.
- Finally, make a knot on the inside of the glove and cut off any excess thread after you’ve reached the end of the section.
Put it to the test. Flip it inside out and try touching your phone while wearing gloves.
Does it work?
If not, you can sew in more threads or you can change the size of the threaded conductive patches of your gloves for better touchscreen accuracy. Repeat the same process on all your glove’s fingertips if you need to.
What’s good about sewing conductive thread into your gloves is that unlike thermal paste (more on this later), it doesn’t create a mess and rub off. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!
Add Metal Snaps
Metal snaps also offer good conduction. In fact, it’s a popular DIY technique for making gloves touchscreen compatible. However, attaching metal snaps to gloves can be a bit tricky and takes some sewing and tool-handling skills. But once it’s set, you’ll enjoy smooth navigation on your touchscreen phone or tablet.
Here are the tools you’ll need:
- gloves
- snap buttons
- hammer or mallet
Follow this process:
- To begin, place your gloves on a flat surface and make tiny holes in your glove’s fingertips. Check that the holes are the proper size for the metal snaps you intend to use.
- Then, insert the bottom half of the snap.
- Next, secure the metal snaps in place using a snap setter and a hammer or mallet.
- Once that’s done, your gloves should be ready for use.
You can repeat the steps if you need all the fingertips for optimum touchscreen compatibility.
Use Thermal Paste
The messy process of turning your gloves into a touch-sensitive pair using thermal paste may not be the most ideal option, but it works. Smearing a small amount of CPU thermal compound, also known as CPU paste or thermal grease, on your gloves can help with conduction.
This compound is a silver liquid used in the installation of CPUs in custom-built PCs. It has conductive properties, allowing your fingertips to interact with your smartphone or tablet. Plus, they are easily accessible. You can get it from computers and electronic retailers for under &10.
To start, put the paste onto your glove’s fingertips. It may get a little messy and hard to work with, so patience and caution are the keys here. Then, allow the paste to dry.
However, you must keep in mind that thermal paste doesn’t really set so don’t expect it to be super dry. So, it can be really messy. It can stick to your phone’s screen or, worse, scratch it.
In addition, people who have tried this trick had a hard time touching their phone screens so there may be better solutions.
How About Any Glove?
Applying Any Glove is also a good option. This is an easier (and less messy) process of making your gloves touchscreen compatible.
To begin, squeeze out the solution onto your glove and allow it to dry. Any Glove does wonders on most materials such as knits, fleece, and even goatskin leather. It can also work on leather gloves, plus, it provides insulation and waterproofing capabilities.
This solution is also inexpensive and you won’t need a lot in a single application since the effect lasts for weeks. You can also always reapply it without causing damage to your gloves. The US military forces also use this solution on treating their gloves. So, many DIYers we know to count on this product, too.
The downside is that it takes forever to dry. It may take days. But once the solution has completely dried, your gloves should be ready for use. However, you must also keep in mind that Any Glove may cause discoloration on your gloves. We recommend using this solution on inexpensive pairs of gloves.
FAQs
What Can I Put On Gloves for Touch Screen?
The most convenient way is to just get a pair of touch-screen-compatible gloves. But, there are conductive solutions, too. You can apply some formulas to instantly make your leather gloves and even combat gloves touchscreen compatible.
These formulas can make your screens respond to your gloves as if they were touched by your actual finger tips.
Another way to make your gloves touchscreen-ready is by using a thermal paste, though this would be a messier process. Plus, it doesn’t work as well as Any Glove formulas.
Do Rubber Gloves Work With Touch Screens?
In general, rubber gloves are incompatible with touch screens. For one, they are typically too thick to touch the screen. The rubber material forms a barrier that prevents electrical charge from your index fingers needed to activate the touch screen.
However, there are certain rubber touchscreen gloves with conductive material built into the fingertips. But if you want to work around your regular leather gloves, you can easily transform them into a simple DIY conductive pair of gloves for your smartphone screen. Refer to our guide above to find out how.
What Makes a Glove Touch Sensitive?
Touch-sensitive gloves have conductive threads or materials. These materials allow your finger’s electrical charge to travel through the glove and interact with a screen. Some touchscreen compatible gloves also feature unique coatings or treatments. These gloves can enhance conductivity and performance.
What’s Your Fave Trick?
We all love a pair of good touchscreen gloves. But if you can make them, why spend extra bucks on a capacitive touchscreen or special gloves?
We hope you enjoyed our guide on how to make gloves touchscreen friendly. Whether you’re going on a winter walk or simply trying to stay warm on your daily commute, having touch screen gloves can help you stay connected while staying comfy.
Oh, and use gloves that you can practice on. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us or share your own tips and tricks—we’d love to hear them, too!
Good luck!
